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Committee formed in Morelos to seek Ernesto Ruffo’s release and challenge his pretrial detention Image: ARCHIVO EL UNIVERSAL
🇲🇽 Mexico /Crime & Justice

Committee formed in Morelos to seek Ernesto Ruffo’s release and challenge his pretrial detention

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Political and civil society figures launched the Plural Committee for Ernesto Ruffo’s Freedom in Morelos.
  • The committee says Ruffo’s pretrial detention is disproportionate and cites his age, health and what it calls a lack of legal justification.
  • It is demanding release under objective precautionary measures, transparent hearings and strict adherence to due process.

Political and civil society figures in Morelos have formed the Plural Committee for Ernesto Ruffo’s Freedom, calling for the former Baja California governor to face his criminal case outside prison.

Committee members described Ruffo’s pretrial detention as disproportionate. They pointed to his age and health and questioned the legal grounds for keeping him detained. Brenda Valderrama, a member of the group, accused authorities of using the justice system politically in the case of the country’s first opposition governor.

The case goes beyond my father and represents a critical precedent in defending the rule of law in Mexico.

— Verónica RuffoMessage sent to the committee’s gathering about the broader legal significance the family assigns to the case.

Lawyer Paulino Alonso said legal alternatives could ensure Ruffo’s appearance without violating the presumption of innocence. Those options include house arrest, regular reporting, a financial bond or surrendering his passport.

There are viable legal alternatives, such as house arrest, regular reporting, a financial bond or surrendering his passport.

— Paulino AlonsoThe lawyer outlined alternatives to detention that could ensure Ruffo’s appearance.

Verónica Ruffo, the former governor’s daughter, sent a message to the gathering saying the case went beyond her father and represented a critical precedent for defending the rule of law in Mexico.

The committee’s demands focus on three points: that Ruffo face the proceedings in freedom under objective precautionary measures, that judicial hearings remain transparent, and that authorities strictly follow due process.

The justice system is allegedly being used politically in the persecution of the country’s first opposition governor.

— Brenda ValderramaValderrama criticized the handling of Ruffo’s case during the committee’s presentation.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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